''Beat Girl'' is a 1960 British teen

exploitation Exploitation may refer to: *Exploitation of natural resources *Exploitation of labour **Forced labour *Exploitation colonialism *Slavery **Sexual slavery and other forms *Oppression *Psychological manipulation In arts and entertainment *Exploita ...

drama film directed by

Edmond T. Gréville Edmond T. Gréville (born Edmond Gréville Thonger; 20 June 1906 – 26 May 1966) was a French film director and screenwriter. He was married to the actress Vanda Gréville. Career Gréville began his career as a film journalist and critic. ...

. The film was released in the United States under the title ''Wild for Kicks''. The title character of ''Beat Girl'' was played by starlet

Gillian Hills Gillian Hills (born 5 June 1944) is an English actress and singer. She first came to notice as a teenager in the 1960s in the British films '' Beat Girl'' (1960) and ''Blowup'' (1966). She also spent a number of years living in France, where sh ...

, who later went on to have numerous small roles in 1960s and 1970s films, such as '' Blowup'' (1966) and ''

A Clockwork Orange ''A Clockwork Orange'' may refer to: * ''A Clockwork Orange'' (novel), a 1962 novel by Anthony Burgess ** ''A Clockwork Orange'' (film), a 1971 film directed by Stanley Kubrick based on the novel *** ''A Clockwork Orange'' (soundtrack), the film ...

'' (1971), and became a successful ''" ye-ye"'' singer in France. ''Beat Girl'' marked the first film roles of British pop idol Adam Faith and actor

Peter McEnery Peter Robert McEnery (born 21 February 1940) is a retired English stage and film actor. Early life McEnery was born in Walsall, Staffordshire, to Charles and Ada Mary (née Brinson) McEnery. He was educated at Ellesmere College, Shropshire. Hi ...

, although it was not released until after other films featuring Faith ('' Never Let Go'' (1960))Glynn, Stephen. ''The British Pop Music Film: The Beatles and Beyond.''
Palgrave MacMillan, 2013, p. 40. . and McEnery ('' Tunes of Glory'' (1960)) had already come out. The film also features

Christopher Lee Sir Christopher Frank Carandini Lee (27 May 1922 – 7 June 2015) was an English actor and singer. In a long career spanning more than 60 years, Lee often portrayed villains, and appeared as Count Dracula in seven Hammer Horror films, ultimat ...

and Nigel Green as strip joint operators, and Oliver Reed in a small role as one of the "beat" youth. The original music was composer John Barry's first film commission, and was performed by the John Barry Seven and Orchestra, Adam Faith, and Shirley Anne Field.Fiegel, Eddi. ''John Barry: A Sixties Theme: From James Bond to Midnight Cowboy.''
Faber & Faber, 2012, p. 71-72. The ''Beat Girl'' soundtrack was the first British soundtrack to be released on a

vinyl LP The LP (from "long playing" or "long play") is an analog sound storage medium, a phonograph record format characterized by: a speed of rpm; a 12- or 10-inch (30- or 25-cm) diameter; use of the "microgroove" groove specification; and a ...

. It reached number 11 on the UK Albums Chart, paving the way for the release of other film soundtrack albums.

Plot

Paul Linden, a wealthy and prominent middle-aged architect, returns home to

Kensington Kensington is a district in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea in the West End of London, West of Central London. The district's commercial heart is Kensington High Street, running on an east–west axis. The north-east is taken up b ...

, London. Previously divorced, he brings his new wife: French, 24-year-old Nichole, whom he just married in Paris. He introduces Nichole to his teenage daughter Jennifer, who is resentful of Paul's remarriage and rejects Nichole's friendly overtures. After Paul and Nichole go to bed, Jennifer sneaks out to the Off-Beat café in Soho for an evening of rock music and dancing with her friends, including guitarist Dave, a youth from a working-class background who writes songs; Tony, a general's son whose mother died in the Blitz and who has a drinking problem; and Dodo, Tony's well-bred girlfriend. The next day Nichole plans to meet Jennifer at Saint Martin's School of Art, where the latter studies, so they can have lunch together. At lunchtime, Nichole arrives at St Martin's, but learns that Jennifer has gone to the Off-Beat. There, Nicole confronts Jennifer in front of her friends and reminds her to be home for Paul's important business dinner that night. While leaving, Nichole passes Greta, the star performer at the strip club across the street. Greta recognises Nichole and greets her by name. However, Nichole ignores her. Jennifer suspects that Nichole was also a stripper before meeting Paul. At Paul's business dinner, Jennifer tries to embarrass Nichole in front of the guests by bringing up the encounter with the

stripper A stripper or exotic dancer is a person whose occupation involves performing striptease in a public adult entertainment venue such as a strip club. At times, a stripper may be hired to perform at a bachelor party or other private event. M ...

. After the guests leave, Paul questions Nichole, who says that she knew Greta in Paris and that they were in ballet together but Greta pursued a different way of life and Nichole lost track of her. Paul accepts her explanation, but Jennifer goes to the strip club to ask Greta directly. Greta initially claims that she made a mistake and does not know Nichole, but under pressure from her boyfriend, strip club manager Kenny King, she reveals that she and Nichole worked together as strippers and occasional

prostitutes Prostitution is the business or practice of engaging in sexual activity in exchange for payment. The definition of "sexual activity" varies, and is often defined as an activity requiring physical contact (e.g., sexual intercourse, non-penet ...

in Paris. Jennifer, encouraged by Kenny, becomes enamoured with the idea of becoming a stripper herself. Jennifer is caught by Paul and Nichole coming home from the strip club at late at night and a confrontation ensues. Jennifer reveals that she spoke with Greta and threatens to tell Paul what she has learned if Nichole does not stay out of her life. At the strip club, Nicole tells Kenny and Greta to stay away from Jennifer. Kenny says that Jennifer will be welcome there any time and that if Nichole interferes, he will tell Paul about her past. That night, Jennifer and her friends dance at

Chislehurst Caves Chislehurst Caves are a series of intersecting man-made tunnels and caverns covering some 22 miles (35.4 km) in Chislehurst in southeast London, England. From the mid-13th to early 19th centuries the 'caves' were created from the mining of ...

, and participate in a dangerous car race and a game of chicken on railway tracks where the last person to leave the rails before the train arrives (Jennifer) wins. Jennifer invites everyone to continue the party at her house, as Paul is out of town and Nichole presumably will not interfere. Jennifer accepts a dare to "strip like a Frenchie" and begins a striptease to music, but when she gets down to her underwear Nichole bursts from her bedroom and stops her. Then Paul arrives home and breaks up the party, throwing all of the beatniks out of his house including Dave. Jennifer angrily tells Paul about Nichole's activities in Paris. Nichole, crying, admits that it is true and explains that she only did it because she was broke and hungry. Paul and Nichole profess their love for each other and reconcile. Jennifer goes to the café, but now finds it boring. She walks out on her friends and meets Kenny at the strip club. Kenny invites her to go to Paris with him, where he can train her to be a star stripper. Greta later learns that Kenny plans to leave her and go off with Jennifer. As Kenny makes a pass at Jennifer, someone stabs him to death. The club staff, thinking Jennifer killed Kenny, lock her in a room and call the police. Jennifer screams that she did not do it, and the real culprit, Greta, emerges from behind a curtain. Meanwhile, Dave, Tony and Dodo confront Teddy Boys who vandalise Tony's car and smash his guitar. Paul and Nichole arrive searching for Jennifer while the police drag her out of the strip club. The police release Jennifer to Paul and Nicole, and they return home, arms around each other, as Dave throws his broken guitar in the rubbish.

Cast

* David Farrar as Paul Linden *

Noëlle Adam Noelle or Noëlle is the feminine form of the gender neutral name Noel. It derives from the old French Noël, "Christmas," a variant (and later a replacement) of nael, which itself derives from the Latin natalis, "birthday". Other nicknames a ...

as Nichole *

as Jennifer Linden * Adam Faith as Dave *

as Tony * Shirley Anne Field as Dodo *

as Kenny King * Delphi Lawrence as Greta * Nigel Green as Simon *

Margot Bryant Kathleen Mary Margaret Bryant (8 March 1897 – 1 January 1988), known professionally as Margot Bryant, was an English stage, teleivison and actress best known for playing Minnie Caldwell in the soap opera ''Coronation Street'' from its inc ...

as Martha * Oliver Reed as Plaid Shirt (Beat youth) * Michael Kayne as Duffle Coat (Beat youth) *

Claire Gordon Claire Gordon (16 January 1941 – 13 April 2015) was an English film actress and comedian known for leading and cameo roles in many British films from the late 1950s to the mid-1980s, and for working with most of the television comedy stars of ...

as Honey * Robert Raglan as F.O. official * Nade Beall as Official's Wife * Norman Mitchell as Club doorman * Pascaline as strip dancer with scarf * Diane D'Orsay (Moyle) as strip dancer in white négligée

Production

Filming

George Minter, who ran Renown Pictures, said he wanted to make a picture "for the kids". Gillian Hills had been discovered by

Roger Vadim Roger Vadim Plemiannikov (; 26 January 1928 – 11 February 2000) was a French screenwriter, film director and producer, as well as an author, artist and occasional actor. His best-known works are visually lavish films with erotic qualities, su ...

, who considered casting her in '' Les liaisons dangereuses''. He elected not to do so, and Hills made her film debut in this movie instead. Filming started 27 July 1959. The movie was filmed at MGM-British Studios at Borehamwood,

Hertfordshire Hertfordshire ( or ; often abbreviated Herts) is one of the home counties in southern England. It borders Bedfordshire and Cambridgeshire to the north, Essex to the east, Greater London to the south, and Buckinghamshire to the west. For govern ...

, UK, with exteriors filmed in Soho and Chislehurst Caves (then in Kent). Pascaline, the Haitian exotic dancer who appears in a sequence performing with a scarf, had performed in real life as an exotic dancer at the

Crazy Horse Saloon Le Crazy Horse Saloon or Le Crazy Horse de Paris is a Parisian cabaret known for its stage shows performed by nude female dancers and for the diverse range of magic and variety 'turns' between each nude show and the next. Its owners have helped ...

in Paris.

Music

After Adam Faith was cast, John Barry was asked to compose the film soundtrack, because he had already been collaborating with Faith as an arranger. Barry was subsequently hired to score Faith's next films, '' Never Let Go'' (1960) and '' Mix Me a Person'' (1962), leading to Barry's successful career as a composer and arranger of film music. In addition to the ''Beat Girl'' soundtrack LP reaching number 11 in the album charts, the song "Made You," composed by John Barry and Trevor Peacock and performed in the film by Faith, achieved minor hit status before being banned by the BBC for suggestive lyrics. A sample from the title track is used in " The Rockafeller Skank," a 1998 single by

Fatboy Slim Norman Quentin Cook (born Quentin Leo Cook, 31 July 1963), also known by his stage name Fatboy Slim, is an English musician, DJ, and record producer who helped to popularise the big beat genre in the 1990s. In the 1980s, Cook was the bassist f ...

, for which Barry receives a co-writer credit.

Release

Some versions of the released film have cut the original striptease sequences (which included topless nudity), some exposition scenes set in the strip club, the "chicken" game scene, and/or some opening exposition scenes with David Farrar and Noëlle Adam on a train and then with Gillian Hills at their London home.

Censorship

When the original script, entitled "Striptease Girl," was submitted to the British Board of Film Censors in March 1959, the reviewer termed it "machine-made dirt" and "the worst script I have read for some years". The project was then renamed "Beat Girl" and nudity was reduced, but censors still objected to scenes of strip tease, juvenile delinquency, and teenagers playing "chicken" by lying on railway tracks in front of an oncoming train. Ultimately, the film received an "X" certificate, causing its release to be delayed because it was queued behind a glut of other X-rated films.

Critical reception

The film was bought for distribution by Victoria Films and did "exceptionally well" playing over 1,000 theatres, despite receiving bad reviews. '' Kine Weekly'' wrote: "JEAN-AGE melodrama, with songs. Set mainly in Soho, it's about a self-willed fifteen-year-old beatnik daughter of a successful architect, who resents her father's pretty French second wife and decides to live for kicks, but soon gets into hot water and, chastened, returns lo the old nest. The tale is not particularly original, but the principal adults' and teenagers' performances are first-class, the list of ”cool” guest artists stretches as long as your arm, and the numbers head the current hit parade. And that's not all. the film's musical score, played by topnotch John Barry and his Orchestra and sung by Shirley Ann Field and Adam Faith, is the first to be recorded in its entirety on a long-playing disc. Pre-sold, the opus can hardly miss. Outstanding British gimmick offering" '' Variety'' said: "Cheap little dualer about a London kid who gets mixed up with beatniks, striptease, murder and problems with her father and stepmother; may click with undiscriminating audiences." Leslie Halliwell called the film a "Risible exposé-style melodrama." The ''Radio Times Guide to Films'' gave the film 2/5 stars, writing: " hisfailed attempt to launch Adam Faith as yet another of Britain's answers to Elvis Presley is now a great pop history lesson in teenage attitudes and rock 'n' roll rebellion, complete with cool jive talk and swinging sounds." ''

Sight and Sound ''Sight and Sound'' (also spelled ''Sight & Sound'') is a British monthly film magazine published by the British Film Institute (BFI). It conducts the well-known, once-a-decade ''Sight and Sound'' Poll of the Greatest Films of All Time, ongoing ...

'' said: "''Beat Girl'' evidently has one eye on US product such as ''Rebel Without a Cause'', offering a largely studio set, mock ethnographic survey of the new teenage tribe frequenting Soho coffee bars and basement clubs, playing chicken on country roads and talking in a brand new argot (“Straight from the fridge, dad!"), which screenwriter Dail Ambler quite possibly made up for the occasion. It's a film as flummoxed as super-square patriarch David Farrar's permanently creased brow, which perhaps explains why the producers hedged their bets by situating a striptease show across the street from the kids' espresso stop, allowing extensive onstage footage to be tailored for various export versions. ... Like so much British cinema of the time, It's a muddled yet fascinating affair, which somehow manages to look to the future in spite of itself."

References

External links

* *
Beat Girl
at BFI Screenonline
Beat Girl
at Letterbox DVD
Beat Girl
at ReelStreets {{Edmond T. Gréville 1960 drama films 1960 films 1960s British films 1960s coming-of-age drama films 1960s English-language films 1960s exploitation films 1960s teen drama films British coming-of-age drama films British teen drama films Films about dysfunctional families Films about marriage Films about striptease Films directed by Edmond T. Gréville Films scored by John Barry (composer) Films set in London Films shot in Hertfordshire Films shot in Kent Films shot in London Films shot at MGM-British Studios Films about juvenile sexuality Kensington Teensploitation